The information below is compiled by Mark Boriek, Principal Fisheries Biologist at the division's Lebanon Field Office. Previous years' reports were from Gary Conner, the voice of the Shad Hotline. Please call the Shad Hotline 610-954-0577 or 610-954-0578 for the latest shad updates on the Delaware River.

Information about the yearly hydroacoustic study in the Delaware River is also available. Using the hydroacoustic technique of echo integration, American shad upstream passage is monitored from the Interstate 202 Toll Bridge piers at Lambertville, NJ. See the Delaware River American Shad Hydroacoustic Reports for more information. (Spans 1 and 2 are closest to the Pennsylvania shoreline, span 5 is closest to the New Jersey shoreline.)

The Hydroacoustics marked only about 5,000 shad from 4/26 through 5/2. If the predicted main run does not materialize within the next coupe of weeks, the 2004 population estimate will be much lower than 2003.

There has been a mix of bucks and roes in good numbers upriver and more bucks than roes down river. The main run, with more roes, is still to come and it will be in the channel as flows are near normal.

As the Delaware River is slightly below average flow, the shad are in long ribbon-like schools following the channel. This is evidenced by one boat angler, who over the weekend near the mouth of the Lehigh River, caught 20 + shad, while boat anglers to his left and right, caught few and none. Shore line anglers usually do not fare as well in normal to low flows, unless they find a spot were the channel comes close to the shore. They do better in higher flows which bring the shad schools close to the shoreline, out of the fast moving water in the main channel.

The above mentioned boat angler caught 3 bucks to every 1 roe (largest 5 lbs.), indicating that it is the early part of the run. It is still early down river too, at the haul seine fishery, just below the Route 202 Bridge, where Steve Meserve is catching 2 bucks to every 1 roe (largest over 7 lbs.). Best haul of 19 bucks and 10 roes was on 4/15.

A commercial fisherman in the upper bay, who drifts his 600 ft gill nets a total of five miles from the mouth of the Cohansey River to Madhorse Creek, a distance of five miles, caught 1,200 lbs. of American shad early this morning (1:30 AM). There were only 50 lbs. of bucks (the largest roe was 10 lbs.). He is within, what he considers to be the mid-point of the run. More of what he terms “Black-backed roe shad”, as they become darker on top, or “May Chunks” or “Hubcappers”, because of their size.

The commercial fisherman in the lower bay, out of the Maurice River, reports as you would suspect, the latter part of the run. Today he caught 1000 lbs., all roes, averaging 9 to 11 lbs. He is the one who, a week ago, released two American shad over 11 lbs. In the beginning of the month he caught and kept a 13.5 lber and a 14.5 lber.

More big roes to come. The New Jersey State Record is an 11 lb. 1 oz. fish caught in the Delaware River in 1984. The World All Tackle Record is an 11 lb. 4 oz. fish caught in the Connecticut River in 1986.

The NJ Bureau of Marine Fisheries has caught, tagged and released 300 striped bass in 3 days in nets set off of Bidwell’s Ditch and Reed’s Beach in Delaware Bay. The largest striped bass was 18 lbs. The first American shad, a small female, was caught. Water temperature reached a high of 48° F.

A Seafood buyer stated that American shad was again available from South Carolina. He was able to purchase 345 lbs. He continues to think that the A. shad run will be late, like last year.

The Hydroacoustics contractor plans to begin setting up the equipment tomorrow at the Route 202 Bridge for the mid-March through May American shad population estimate. This will include weekly updates of American shad passage at the site.

Steve Meserve of the Lewis Fishery plans to conduct his first haul seine on 3/20/04.

PRE-SEASON REPORT - Delaware Bay – 3/5/04

The NJ Bureau of Marine Fisheries set nets off of Bidwell’s Ditch and Reed’s Beach in Delaware Bay catching tagging and releasing 175 striped bass 18"–30”, the largest of which was 18 lbs. Windowpane Flounder were also caught, but no American shad. Water temperature was 41–46° F. A single American shad was reportedly caught by a commercial white perch netter in Upper Delaware Bay. The bureau plans to do more extensive netting for striped bass in Delaware Bay early next week.

Seafood buyer stated that there were no American shad available for him to purchase but lots of big white perch, due to these past two winters that had much of the water ice covered.

PSE&G said Trenton Power Plant Gate is open, and will remain open. If the security alert is raised it will be closed.

PRE-SEASON REPORT - 3/5/04

It is usually at this time of year that reports are made by Delaware River American shad anglers taking advantage of the warm water effluent at the Mercer Generating Station in Trenton. Later, there are reports from other NJ rivers of “shad” jumping dams. They are shad, usually Gizzard shad. for more information see the Comparison of Gizzard/American Shad. (75kb in PDF format which requires the Adobe Acrobat Reader, available free from Adobe's Web site)

PRE-SEASON REPORT - 2/27/04

A Delaware Bay contact said that South Carolina commercial netting began on 2/1, and no shad were caught until this week, 2/23. He was able to buy 300 lbs, slightly less than he bought from them last year at this time and feels that the run will be late, like last year.

In 2003 there were no shad landed by commercial netters in upper Delaware Bay prior to March 16th due to the cold water temperatures. The bucks may have stayed deep (because of cold water) below the nets. The big landings didn't start until the end of March through mid-April and they were mostly roes as everyone fished 5.5" mesh (too big for bucks).

2004 is similar to last year with all the snow and ice melt, keeping the water below 50 F. Shad will be migrating at these cold temperatures, but will not be hitting. Remember, anglers that trolled (giving the lure more action, covering more water) seemed to do better in cold water last year than boat anglers whom remained stationary. One stationary boat angler that uses down riggers, claims that the few shad he does catch, below 50 F, are hooked on the outside of the mouth. The shad are just slapping at the lure, not hitting it aggressively. It is no news, that, if the river remains fishable but cold, the first shad will be caught in the warm water near the Trenton Power Plant and later, upriver at the Portland Power Plant.